Photographic retoucher



(No Model.)

D. M. HARSI-IMAN.

PHOTOGRAPHIG RETOUGHBR. No. 555,243. Patented Febr. 25, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEFICEo DELLA M. IIARSHMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PHOTOGRAPHIC RETOUCHER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 555,243, dated February 25, 1896.

Application led February 1, 1894. Serial No. 498,813. (No model.)

T0 a/ZZ whom t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, DELLA M. HARSHMAN, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electrical Retouching- Pencils; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof7 reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in electrically -actuated pencils for use in retouching photographic negatives and for other analogous purposes, and has for its object to provide a well-balanced device of the character referred to capable of being conveniently held in the hand in the same manner as an ordinary pencil and of being used with the same facility and with the same delicacy of touch of which the ordinaryT pencil is capable.

The principal feature of my invention consists in the combination, with a tube containing a pencil-holder, of an electromotor-s upport ixed to the tube at the side thereof, said support and the motor being made of such suitable size that they readily enter ythe hollow of the hand when the latter is loosely closed about them and the pencil in the position naturally given it in use, as will be fully understood from Figure l of the accompanying drawings.

In` said drawings, Fig. l is a side elevation showing the implement in the hand of the operator. Fig. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal section disclosing the operative parts, Fig. 3 is a transverse section on line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

A designates a pencil proper comprising an outer casing A' of substantially the dimensions of an ordinary lead-pencil and an inner shaft A2 adapted to reciprocate within the casing A and extending out of the latter at one end to carry any suitable lead-containing point A3.

B designates the magnet support or case, which is rigidly secured at one side of the pencil-casing A about midway of the length of the same, and is made sufficiently small to readily enter the hollow of the loosely-closed hand, being in one practical embodiment about one and one-half inches long, one inch wide and one-half inch thick, with its greatest length in a direction at right angles to the pencil A. Preferably the casing A is made long enough to project in both directions beyond the motor-casing so as to bear in or upon the hand at both sides of the motor-casing, as shown in Fig. l.

Within the case B is provided a suitable electric motor for reciprocating the pencilshaft A2, comprising, in this instance, an electromagnet C secured to one of the edge walls b of the case by means of screws @,and separated from said wall by an insulating-strip c. Said magnet is provided with a usual armature Cl which is pivotally supported between the arms of a U -shaped bracket D secured to the opposite edge wall b of the case by means of a bolt E, and separated from said wall by an insulating-strip d. One end, c2, of the magnetcoil is connected with an insulated bindingpost F in the end wall b2 of the case, and the other end, c3, of said magnet-coil is connected with the bracket D. A light spring c4 is herein shown secured upon said armature at the base thereof with one end extending along said armature substantially parallel therewith and with its other end bent, as shown, to engage aprojecting arm D of the bracket D, the reaction of the spring ct1 upon the arm D' tending to throw the armature C/ away from the magnet C. A spring-strip G is also shown secured between the head E of the bolt E and the bracket D and extends along the wall b of the case in position to normally engage the spring c4, the two springs being adjusted to remain in Contact until in its inward movement toward the magnet the armature almost strikes the same.

An insulating-strip g is inserted between the spring G and the bracket D and extends along the spring G the 'greater part of the length of the latter, being engaged at its free end by an adjusting-screw H provided with a 9 IOO bracket D and wall D of the ease by an insulating-sleeve c, and being secured in place by a suitable nut E2.

The terminals I and I of the conductingwires being connected with the binding-posts F and F', the current will pass from the binding-post F through the magnet-coils to the bracket D and through the base of the armature to the spring c". rlhe latter being vin contact with the spring-strip Gr, the current will pass along the strip to the wire f and thence to the other binding-post F, thus completing the circuit. Being energized by the current the magnet will attract and draw in its armature O, and the movement of the latter as Ait approaches the magnet will break the current by separating the springs c" and G. rlhe magnet will then cease to attract the armature and the latter will be thrown back by the spring c, thereby bringing said spring again into contact with the spring G. This operation will be repeated indefinitely, with aresulting rapid vibration of the armature. Obviously the current might be transmitted through the armature O to the binding-post F without the intervention of the springs cl and G, but the ma-kc-and-break arrangement herein shown and including said springs has the advantage of securing a more powerful action, since the current will continue to pass until the armature is almost in contact with the magnet, instead of being instantly cut off when the armature first begins to move, as in the ordinary make-and-break devices. Bymcans of the adj usting-screw II thc relations of the springs cAl and G may be adjusted to vary the action as desired.

The interiors of the pencil-casing A and the magnet-case B are left in open communication through suitable apertures in the walls of each, and the armature O is provided with an extension O3 which has actuating connection with the shaft A2. In the reciprocating construction shown the end of the extension O3 enters between a loose collar a on said shaft and an adjustable collar a sc1e\vtlnea(.led to said shaft. A light spiral spring a2 is provided on the shaft between the loose collar a and a collar a4 fixed to the shaft adjacent to that end of the casing A through which the shaft extends. As the armature is drawn in toward its magnet a yielding pressure is transmitted through said spring to the pencil, tending to force the pencil outward, and as the armature returns to its normal position thc pencil is withdrawn by the engagementof the extension with the adjustable collar (d. Obviously, by this construction the vibrations of the armature produce corrcspondin g resilient reciprocations of the shaft A2.

In using the instrument thus constructed it is grasped in the hand in substantially the same manner as an ordinary pencil, the magnet-case B entering the hollow of the looselyclosed hand, while the point end of the pencil passes down between the ends of the fingers and thumb, and its other end rests against the hand at the base of the forcfinger. The terminals of the conducting-wires then pass down beneath the hand and do not interfere with the operation of the instrument, which may obviously be handled Vin the same manner and with the same facility and delicacy of touch as an ordinary pencil, and the extra weight of the magnet-case and its contained motor being supported within the hand in such position that its effect is not noticeable.

In the particular structure herein shown both the magnet and pencil cases are constructed of metal and are herein shown connected by means of arms l' l', secured to the edge walls Z1 and b of the case l3 by means of screws B2, and the outer ends of which closely encircle the pencil-casing A. To give access to the motor one side I3;E of the case l5 is made removable, being herein shown secured at one end by passing beneath a ledge a provided on thepcncil-casingA' and at the other by clasping over the body of the case l, as shown at Ul. Obviously, however, the use of gutta pcrcha, rubber, or similar material would enable the weight of the device to be greatly reduced without affecting the construction in any material point, and in case such non-conducting material were used for the magnet-ease B the .means described for insulating' the various parts of the motor from the casing would, of course, be omitted.

lVhile the particular device herein set forth is provided with a reciprocatory point, the same construction might be applied to a retouching-pencil having other than a reciprocatory movement, the motor and connections being varied to effect the movement desired without changing the general form ofthe device or impair-ing its adaptability for being grasped and used like an ordinary pencil, and all such and similar modifications are within the scope of my invention. The attachment of the operating-wiresto the side and between the ends of an electrically-actuated. implement designed to be used in the same manner as an ordinary lead-pencil .is also of .importance without regard to the arrangement of the motor itself, as it concentrates the strain of the comlucting-wires at that point at which its effect is the least noticeable.

I claim as :my invention-'- 1. A retouchin g device comprising a pencilcase forming a sleeve, a point movable therein and an electric motor for actuating said point, the motor-case being rigidly secured to the pencil case approximately midway of the length thereof and being adapted in size to enter the hollow of the loosely-closed. hand while the pencil-case rests at one end between the ends of the fingers and at the other against the side of the knuckle at the base of the foreinger, substantially as described.

2. A retouching device comprising a pencilcase forming a sleeve, a reciprocating pointshaft movable within the case, a magnet-case secured to the pencil -case approximately IOO IIO

midway of the length thereof and a magnet In testimony that I claim the foregoing as Within the magnet-case having its armature my invention I affix my signature in presence operatively engaged with the reciprocating of two witnesses.

shaft, said magnet-case and contained niotor DELLA M. HARSHMAN. 5 being of size adapted to enter the hollow of Witnesses:

the loosely-closed hand, substantially as de- ALBERT H. GRAVES,

scribed. HENRY W. CARTER. 

